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Little hippo one week, long and lanky the next... Is that normal?

Hi all,
I just have a question in regards to weight in older puppies. My (not so little) guy is now eight months old, and he seems to be still going through the stage of that awkward puppy body shape. One week he looks like a furry hippo with legs, the next, he's just all legs and looks quite slim and lanky. He seems to be still growing, but when do they usually grow into their adult body, so to speak.

We already have him on a healthy diet of mostly lean game meats as a base and healthy weight dry food, kangaroo lung and organic low fat cookies with chia seeds as treats. We've also just started adding a small spoonful of rice to his meals, which he really enjoys and helps him with potty time as well, since his anal glands have begun functioning normally now since being on it.

I worry about his weight, as I don't want to put any strain on his knees, hips and even heart, as he's already a big boy as it it. Should we be concerned that aesthetically, his weight seems to still fluctuate?

He shouldn't really fluctuate from week to week but this is the age at which they begin to go from gangly to filling out and weight increase slows. If he is going from bloated (hippo) to lanky in just a week, then I'd probably go talk to your vet -- maybe he has gastric problems. But I am guessing he is probably fine and the change isn't really that drastic -- just the difference between a full belly and an empty one, maybe. Nonetheless you really should see him stabilising a bit and he shouldn't be plump -- he needs a defined waist without being too thin. Nicki several times has posted Laura Lang's pictures that give an above shot of several dogs to show a healthy waist size. If you are not seeing a waist then he's probably eating too much. Puppies tend to be pretty good at eating just what they need til about a year old but some can be overly greedy. Without seeing him it is not possible for anyone here to really judge but you could post some images of him and some shots from above of his waist and that would help. If you have concerns of course it is worth talking to your vet or your breeder.

Thanks for the reply Karlin. Your right, it isn't that drastic as such, it's more that he seems to put on the weight, then hold at that weight until he grows
a little more, then looks lanky again. I've had a look at the photo's that Nicki has posted in another thread and I can see Jessie's waistline when he is sitting,
but he is more a little portly around the chest to middle section of his body mostly.

He's a big boy compared to other Cavaliers we've met, measuring at 58cms in length and 43cms in height already.
This is a side image of him taken on the weekend when playing inside.

He's happy and healthy, but want to instill a healthy diet that he can enjoy as well, especially with winter coming along here.
I'll talk to our vet and see what they recommend. Is it more a case of that there is really no ideal weight as such for his length and height?